CRIMINAL activity in Ellesmere Port and Neston is steadily rising, according to a new report.

Home Office figures show offences such as burglary, criminal damage, robbery, and car theft rose between April 2002 and March 2003.

During that same period, the number of sexual offences, violence against people, drugs offences, fraud and forgery fluctuated considerably.

However, with the exception of criminal damage, the number of all the above offences committed in the borough remained below or equal to the national crime average in England and Wales.

These statistics have been released by the Home Office on a website to provide local crime data and prevention advice across the UK.

The site - www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime - allows users to search by postcode, and analyse, compare and contrast figures around the country.

It includes links to local crime reduction partnerships and police forces, including Cheshire Constabulary.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said: 'Providing local people with the real picture of crime in their area helps them engage with their local police force. It also makes the force more accountable and ensures that officers tackle the crimes that matter most in their neighbourhoods.'

He said crime nationally was falling, yet fear of crime was still high across the land.

Better police crime recording policies meant officers now had a clearer picture of local crime, so anti-social behaviour and petty thuggery - both classed as violent crimes - were being more accurately recorded.

Police were not only classifying crimes differently but also encouraging more victims of attacks, especially sexual ones and domestic violence, to come forward.

From April 2002 to March 2003, the overall number of offences committed in Ellesmere Port and Neston rose from 1,400 to 1,903.

Averaged out, the borough went from 17 crimes per 1,000 people to 23 crimes.

This is still lower than the national average for that period, which fell from 28 crimes per 1,000 people to 27.

The crime breakdown also shows that, during that same one-year period:

Burglaries in the borough rose from 211 offences to 308. Criminal damage offences went from 369 to 466.

Serious drugs offences started at 26, rose to 53 in October to December 2002, then fell to 29.

Robberies started at 19, fell to eight in July to September 2002, then finished back at 20.

Sexual offences went from eight to 14 in July to September 2002, then fell to five.

Thefts from and of cars went from 554 to 779.

Violence against the person went from 163 to 235 to 214.

Fraud and forgery started at 39, peaked at 84 in October to December 2002, then fell again to 56.